Downloadable and online free and low-cost EE tools help engineers design and analyze circuits.
Design
PicoScope software adds SMBus and SBS serial decoders
Pico Technology has added another protocol to both PicoScope 6 (Stable) and PicoScope 7 (Early Access) implementations: MIPI I3C Basic specification waveforms can now be decoded, displayed, and analyzed on any PicoScope with sufficient bandwidth and memory depth. I3C is a medium-speed control and data bus interface for connecting peripherals to an application processor in […]
Here’s a rundown on free layout/PCB software
There are dozens of free PCB-layout and schematic packages available on the Web. Often they are stripped-down versions of more complex packages available for licensing. Often, the process of upgrading from freeware to more sophisticated versions is pretty easy. If your circuit needs are generally confined to relatively straightforward two-layer boards, here are a few […]
Julia-language SDK handles digitizers, generators, digital I/O products
A Software Development Kit (SDK) for programming over 200 different digitizers, generators and digital I/O products uses the Julia programming language. A key feature of Julia is that it has been specifically designed for high-performance applications that require fast processing of data, like machine learning and scientific computing. For example, libraries include optimized source C […]
Transistor circuit configurations and Spice
In a recent post, we reviewed the basics of Spice circuit simulators. Most circuit simulations involve transistors, either as discrete components or within an integrated circuit. So it is useful to understand a few basics about how Spice models transistors. Transistors may have multiple states, typically saturation, cutoff, active and reverse. And transistors have an […]
Op-amps and their most important parameters
The operational amplifier (op-amp) has been one of the most successful integrated circuits. A type of differential amplifier with high gain, the differential inputs and single output enable this small, inexpensive IC to use negative feedback in a wide variety of applications, in which its gain (hundreds of thousands of times higher than the difference […]
Web-based jitter measurement utility gives product designers critical timing test results in minutes
The new Jitter Measurement Utility is a web-based, fully automated tool that enables designers to quickly and easily evaluate the jitter and phase noise performance of their custom clock configurations without using their own test equipment. “The need for higher timing performance is being driven by the introduction of new technologies such as 5G, mmWave, […]
Tools for optimizing circuit bias
If a semiconductor or vacuum tube is to accurately reproduce or amplify signals on its input, it must have on its input a non-time-varying dc voltage, i.e. dc bias, the purpose of which is to keep the device in its linear operating range. Otherwise, the input signal to be reproduced may drive the device beyond […]
Digital design toolset takes on tough debugging challenges
The new Five Wire is a professional-grade toolset that takes over where oscilloscopes and software debuggers fall short, allowing engineers to quickly capture and source signals to assist with debugging and verification of embedded designs. With Five Wire, digital designers and firmware engineers get the power of five debugging tools in one instrument so users […]
Making measurements with Matlab
Matlab was released in 1984 by Mathworks, an American privately-held corporation whose other major product is the closely-related Simulink. Additionally, Mathworks offers close to 100 other programs, such as Polyspace, SimEvents and Stateflow. Matlab’s main focus is numerical computing, including matrix and algorithm operations, plotting of data and functions and creation of user interfaces. It […]
