Unless your background is in ac power, it’s possible you haven’t run into the term triplen harmonic. Triplen harmonics have to do with the third harmonic. Even-numbered harmonics do not normally exist in power systems due to symmetry between the positive and negative halves of the ac cycle. It is the odd-numbered harmonics that engineers […]
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Quantifying and measuring non-electrical phenomena: Vibration
Vibration is an important design consideration in many electronic applications such as industrial, automotive, aerospace and marine systems, and consumer white goods and disc drives. Even electronic devices designed for use in relatively vibration-free environments can be subjected to potentially damaging vibration during shipment. The concepts related to vibration also find utility in computer graphics, […]
The difference between LED and OLED displays
Despite some initial difficulties, it is reasonable to think that OLED (organic light emitting diode) displays will replace LCDs, making possible low-power flexible screens relatively inexpensive to manufacture. OLEDs have several advantages. For one thing, they can be made onto a suitable substrate by means of silk screen-printing or an inkjet printer. Roll-to-roll vapor deposition […]
Quantifying and measuring non-electrical phenomena: Humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor in the air. Too much or too little humidity can be detrimental to the functioning of electronic devices. This FAQ begins by looking at some basic concepts related to humidity and the impact that humidity can have on electronics. It then looks at the importance of using humidity […]
Quantifying and measuring non-electrical phenomena: Heat
Heat involves the transfer of energy to or from a thermodynamic system. ‘Heat flow’, although commonly used, is a redundant term since heat is defined as the flow (or transfer) of thermal energy. Thermal energy is the kinetic energy of molecules and atoms. A Joule (J) is the International System (SI) unit of heat, work, […]
Quantifying and measuring non-electrical phenomena – Light
Light has varying definitions; it’s usually limited to the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, but sometimes it’s defined to include the near-infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) portions. For example, LidAR (light detection and ranging) uses various portions of UV, visible, or near IR spectrum to image objects. And ‘light’ has a different definition if […]
Now THAT’S a test instrument: Inside the Webb space telescope
The Hubble telescope, despite its initial optics crisis, was an enormously successful undertaking that answered far more questions about the universe than originally posed. Now comes the Webb space telescope, the most powerful telescope ever put into space and a successor to Hubble. If successful, it will look farther back in time, image fainter objects […]
Measuring CMOS power use
Virtually all digital, analog and mixed-signal ICs are now done in CMOS due to the technology’s extremely low power consumption, small size and immunity to noise. Low power consumption arises from the use of a two-transistor configuration resulting in zero power consumption except during brief transitions. Interestingly, the bulk of CMOS power dissipation arises because […]
Measuring resonance with a scope and signal generator
One of the first things EE students learn in their ac circuits course is resonance. Electrical resonance, to quickly review, arises in an electric circuit at a frequency called the resonances frequency when the impedances or admittances of circuit elements cancel each other. In some circuits, resonance happens when the impedance between the input and […]
Gauging the thermoelectric effect
The thermoelectric effect can be exploited to convert temperature difference to electric voltage or to convert electric voltage to a temperature difference. And devices incorporating the thermoelectric effect can be built and configured to produce heat when voltage is applied. The effect is distinct from resistive (joule) heating, although in actual practice, both effects may […]
