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September 2009 Archives

September 8, 2009

Agilent X series application briefs

Agilent Mimo document.jpg
Just a quick note to say that Agilent X series signal analyzers application notes are available for download - test solutions for Femtocell Manufacturing Test, MIMO Receivers, multi-instrument RF testing, and characterizing and linear/non linear active devices.

As part of a promotion, these four application briefs, the first in a series, highlight specific problems solved by Agilent's products.

Continue reading "Agilent X series application briefs" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 8, 2009 2:36 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 1, 2009

Q5 Interview - Thomas Wessel, Analog Devices

Thomas Wessel - Analog Devices.jpg
The latest Q5 Interview is now online, with the vp of European sales and marketing, global head of automotive sales at Analog Devices.

Thomas Wessel talks to Electronics Weekly about power efficiency, 4G mobile deployment, and the European semiconductor market.

The five questions this week are:

1. ADI's Q2 results were well received by the market, so what is your view of the European semiconductor market at present?

2. Power efficiency is the industry watch-word right now. What are the main tools and capabilities ADI has to address this in its products?

Continue reading "Q5 Interview - Thomas Wessel, Analog Devices" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 1, 2009 3:52 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 3, 2009

Weird & Wireless: Why do mobile phones cause noise on my office speaker phone?

polycom speaker phone.jpg
I have a lot of conference calls in my office where a number of us are clustered around a speaker phone. It is one of those spider shaped Polycom devices and it used to be, that whenever we were on a call, someone's phone would cause a pulsing like noise on the phone.

It still happens today, but not as often and not as badly. You might think that we are getting fewer calls and fewer messages, but that's not it. So what gives?


Continue reading "Weird & Wireless: Why do mobile phones cause noise on my office speaker phone?" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 3, 2009 8:15 AM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

September 2, 2009

ElectronicsWeekly.com - Welcome to the redesign, part II

Episerver redesign small.jpgIt was back in April, with the relaunch of the Electronics Weekly homepage, that I said the Web never sleeps. Well, we promised further developments, and now the rest of the site is following the design of the homepage. I hope you like the new look and functionality of the new pages.

Almost two years of research have gone into this re-design and we've talked to many electronics professionals, and performed numerous usability tests. We listened to what people liked about the old site and what they would like to see in the new site...

Continue reading "ElectronicsWeekly.com - Welcome to the redesign, part II" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 2, 2009 5:27 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 4, 2009

An Engineer In Wonderland - Cunning packaging

 

An Engineer in Wonderland has a new home. You can find this particular entry here. If you wish to leave a comment, please do that on the new blog.

 

package open.JPGCall me boring, but I quite like packaging.

Continue reading "An Engineer In Wonderland - Cunning packaging" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 4, 2009 3:38 PM | | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

September 7, 2009

Q5 Interview - Simon Wilson, Nortel Europe

Simon Wilson Nortel.JPGThe latest Q5 interview is now online with the leader of communications solutions at Nortel Europe.

Simon Wilson talks to Electronics Weekly about power hungry data centres, energy-efficiency in network and data centre design, and other industry trends.

The five questions this week are:

1. How power hungry are data centres?

2. Can you give an idea of the scale of the issue? How many data centres are in Europe for example?

Continue reading "Q5 Interview - Simon Wilson, Nortel Europe" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 7, 2009 1:48 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 9, 2009

Weird & Wireless: What's up with Antennas?

cc antenna.jpgWelcome again to the wonderful but sometimes weird world of wireless comms, written by Joel Young, CTO of Digi International

What's up with Antennas? Some are short, some are long, some are round, some are straight - what gives?

For me there has always been something magical about antennas. Unfortunately, I never really did all that well in my antenna theory classes in school and now that I'm a bit wiser, I realize it would take hundreds of thousands of words to do antennas justice.

But, I'm not usually one to back away from a challenge, so let's see how far we get in a few hundred words.

First, remember that the job of an antenna is to convert electro-magnetic waves to an electric current matching the same pattern. This current is then amplified, filtered and decoded in the radio's receiver resulting in some communication - it might be music, it might be data, it might be voice.

Continue reading "Weird & Wireless: What's up with Antennas?" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 9, 2009 8:55 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 8, 2009

In Depth: Measuring noise & Open-source hardware

silicon generic 3 100 x 74.jpgCheck out these two In-Depth features recently added to the site, covering noise performance and open-source hardware.

Characterising noise in high-performance voltage-reference ICs
Voltage-reference stability and noise frequently define the measurement limits of instrumentation systems. In particular, reference noise often sets stable resolution limits. Reference voltages have decreased with the continuing drop in system power-supply voltages, making reference noise increasingly important.
Read the full article >>

Continue reading "In Depth: Measuring noise & Open-source hardware" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 8, 2009 1:22 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 10, 2009

Electronics Weekly Live presentation videos

Agilent EW Live presentation - video.jpgI'm happy to say the videos of presentations at Electronics Weekly Live - long promised - are now available to watch online in our Brightcove media player.

Please see the list below, and note that the presentation (PowerPoint or PDF) accompanying the speaker are also available for download. I recommend you follow these at the same time. Please follow the download link on the relevant video page (note you will be asked to supply some details before viewing the videos).

Continue reading "Electronics Weekly Live presentation videos " »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 10, 2009 10:22 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

An Engineer in Wonderland - Hunt for a mosfet driver 2

 

An Engineer in Wonderland has a new home. You can find this particular entry here. If you wish to leave a comment, please do that on the new blog.

 

Way back in November last year I was looking for a mosfet driver that would drive a top p-fet and a bottom n-fet so that I could run a half-bridge at 100% duty cycle.

Despite helpful replies from both Jeremy and Yilcan Guzelgunler, I got nowhere.

And so, heroically, gave up.

Continue reading "An Engineer in Wonderland - Hunt for a mosfet driver 2" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 10, 2009 3:58 PM | | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

September 11, 2009

Top 10 most popular articles on ElectronicsWeekly.com

EWEE_Logo_ED.JPG Here are the top ten most popular articles on ElectronicsWeekly.com in the last week, with three blog posts topping the pile: two from Mannerisms (a Fable, and one on ST-Ericsson) and a Made By Monkeys on engineering mistakes...

In reverse order:

10. Abu Dhabi chip venture buys Chartered for $1.8bn

9. Sharp's The Word For Netbooks

8. World's oldest computer comes back to life

Continue reading "Top 10 most popular articles on ElectronicsWeekly.com" »

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 11, 2009 10:13 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 14, 2009

x86 Processor Endgame takes a blogging bow

x86 processor endgame screenshot.jpg
There's another new blog in town, covering the news beat of x86 processor developments - x86 Processor Endgame!

As well as highlighting the developments from the likes of Intel, AMD and Via, it will be looking at the low-power challengers to the x86 hegemony, from the likes of ARM and Nvidia.

Essentially, it will be a "beat blog", quickly flagging things to note elsewhere on the Web, from various sources, pointing where to find interesting and relevant developments. Searching for all (interesting) things x86, so that you don't need to!

Posts already on the blog include:
* Intel puts 32nm "Westmere" chips in IDF spotlight

* AMD's VISION for badging computer specs

* Nehalem goes mainstream with "Lynnfield" chips

Continue reading "x86 Processor Endgame takes a blogging bow" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 14, 2009 9:49 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

ARM Cortex-M3 put at the heart of Cypress PSoC plans

With the latest generation of its programmable system-on-chip (PSoC) device, Cypress Semiconductor hopes to turn what was a low-end configurable interface controller into a more widely usable system-on-chip platform, writes Richard Wilson.

Continue reading "ARM Cortex-M3 put at the heart of Cypress PSoC plans" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 14, 2009 11:41 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 15, 2009

Q5 Interview - Owen Reeves, ACW Technology

acw037_OwenReeves2.JPGThe latest Q5 interview is now online, with the MD of ACW Technology, the UK contract electronics manufacturer.

Owen Reeves talks to Electronics Weekly about design activity, opportunities in the current economic climate, and end-markets with growth prospects.

The five questions this week are:

1. What impact is the downturn having on your markets?

2. How is the design activity in your OEM customers being affected?

Continue reading "Q5 Interview - Owen Reeves, ACW Technology" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 15, 2009 11:57 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 16, 2009

Thank you to our 1,000 Twitter followers

twitter_logo_125x29 jpg.jpgThank you to all who follow Electronics Weekly's breaking news on Twitter. This is just a quick post to celebrate our first milestone - 1,000 followers now bravely surf our corner of the Twitterverse.

If you want to join up, and keep an eye on electronics developments, simply follow ElectronicsNews. Couldn't be easier!

Also if you want to follow Electronics Weekly's editor Richard Wilson, just follow EWcom. Here's the RSS twitter feed.

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 16, 2009 8:02 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 17, 2009

An Engineer in Wonderland - Digging up a surprise

 

An Engineer in Wonderland has a new home. You can find this particular entry here. If you wish to leave a comment, please do that on the new blog.

 

 Muddy watch.JPG Some while ago I confessed to being a fan of the Casio W-59 watch.

And by a complete coincidence, or a yet-to-be understood facet of quantum mechanics, I dug one up in the garden the other day.


 

Continue reading "An Engineer in Wonderland - Digging up a surprise" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 17, 2009 10:51 AM | | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

September 22, 2009

Q5 Interview - Andrew Porter, Europe TechInsights

23sep09Q5porter.jpgThe latest Q5 interview is now online, with the Events Director of Europe TechInsights, organiser of the Embedded Systems Conference 2009 event (6 - 8 Oct, FIVE International Show Centre, Farnborough).

He talks to Electronics Weekly about what makes the best electronics exhibition and conference in the UK.

The five questions this week are:

1. What makes the ideal UK electronics event?

2. What are the limiting factors on creating such an event for the UK high-tech engineering sector?

Continue reading "Q5 Interview - Andrew Porter, Europe TechInsights" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 22, 2009 10:01 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 23, 2009

Weird & Wireless: Adding wind power to your home

Skystream.jpgWelcome again to the wonderful but sometimes weird world of wireless comms, written by Joel Young, CTO of Digi International

What kind of impact can I get by adding wind power to my home?

Contrary to what I thought going into it, I've discovered that it's not yet all that easy or cost effective to be really green, at least when it comes to being electrically self-sufficient (at least in my neighborhood).

The past few weeks I set off to try to look at how I could self generate a good chunk of the electric power for my house. This is part one of a two part blog on green power.

Why not wind? My house sits on the top of a hill with, what I've thought was, typically a steady breeze. Now it turns out that my house uses on average about 24,000 kWh per year. At an average rate of 10.5 cents per kWh, electricity costs me over $2,500 per year.

Continue reading "Weird & Wireless: Adding wind power to your home" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 23, 2009 8:41 AM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

September 25, 2009

Pool ball wizardy



A bit of fun for a Friday... Fancy a game of pool? How about a game of pool like this? Check out the rippling-water and trails-of-heat effects.

Dubbed Cuelight, by the company Obscura Digital, it makes pool into a performance art display. It is apparently part of a suite of "digital toys" made for Esquire's "Ultimate Bachelor Pad" at the SoHo Mews development in New York City, writes Core77.

Continue reading "Pool ball wizardy" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 25, 2009 8:43 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 28, 2009

Moving atoms - a nanotechnological anniversary



I'm all for marking anniversaries and IBM tells me that today marks a nanotechnological milestone - that IBM Fellow Don Eigler became the first person in history to manipulate individual atoms.
"Shortly thereafter, on November 11 of that year, Eigler and his team used a custom-built microscope to spell out the letters IBM with 35 xenon atoms," goes the IBM press release. "This unprecedented ability to manipulate individual atoms signaled a quantum leap forward in nanoscience experimentation and heralded in the age of nanotechnology."

Continue reading "Moving atoms - a nanotechnological anniversary" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 28, 2009 5:34 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 29, 2009

Guinness World Record for Largest Hi-Def Video Display

Diamon Vision at Dallas Cowboys.jpg
The huge Mitsubishi Electric screen hanging above the Dallas Cowboy's field of play is now in the Guinness World Record books, as the world's largest high-definition video display.

The screen has previously snagged my attention, and a football - Dallas Cowboys' over-field TV stops play - but the entry in the record books means more details about the screen are revealed. Mitsubishi states:

Continue reading "Guinness World Record for Largest Hi-Def Video Display" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 29, 2009 10:00 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

September 30, 2009

Weird & Wireless: Adding solar power to your home

Roof Solar Panels.jpgWelcome again to the wonderful but sometimes weird world of wireless comms, written by Joel Young, CTO of Digi International

See also: Weird & Wireless: Adding wind power to your home

What kind of impact can I get by adding solar power to my home?

Last week I set off to try to look at how I could self generate a good chunk of the electric power for my house. This is part 2 of a two part blog on green power. Why not solar?

As a reminder, my house sits on the top of a hill with a moderate line to the southern and western skies and uses on average about 24,000 kWh per year. At an average rate of 10.5 cents per kWh, electricity costs me over $2,500 per year. Like most, the usage goes way up during the summer months.
 

Continue reading "Weird & Wireless: Adding solar power to your home" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on September 30, 2009 10:16 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

About September 2009

This page contains all entries posted to Electro-ramblings in September 2009. They are listed from oldest to newest.

August 2009 is the previous archive.

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