In a simpler time there wasn’t a great need for electronic simulation because equipment composed of discrete components could easily be bread boarded and powered up to try out ideas. This approach is now unfeasible thanks to billion-component ICs, multi-gigahertz bandwidth requirements, parasitic impedances, and electromagnetic interference issues. Rather than manually building and testing multiple […]
Featured
How to measure powerline quality with an oscilloscope
Power quality in the context of ac lines usually refers to how closely the ac line comes to approximating the ideal sinusoidal wave. Real-world factors such as electrical noise and the tolerance of ac voltage and frequency all affect power quality. Thus it is often important to measure the degree to which ac lines depart […]
Wideband transceiver optimized for tests of 802.11ad devices
Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) today announced the volume launch of their solution for testing 802.11ad devices. The flexible and compact E7760A wideband transceiver is an integrated test solution that supports the IEEE 802.11ad wireless standard. The solution was introduced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year. “Our customers are looking for millimeter […]
Basics of induction
Building on the work of others, particularly Humphry Davy, Hans Christian Ørsted and Alessandro Volta, English researcher Michael Faraday formulated his Law of Electromagnetic Induction. This most basic of all laws governing electromagnetism quantifies the interaction of a magnetic field and an electric circuit, producing electromotive force (EMF) or in the language of technicians and […]
Basics of interferometers
Interferometers figure prominently in the history of experimental physics. They were at the heart of the Michelson-Morley Experiment of 1887 that attempted unsuccessfully to detect the existence of an ether wind, a hypothetical medium for light transmission. (The null result was not because of any inadequacy in the instrumentation or deficiency in the design of […]
Network analyzer vs. spectrum analyzer: What is the difference?
By Lisa Clark Before we differentiate a spectrum analyzer and a network analyzer, it is important to understand what these two instruments are, and what function they perform. Thus, we give a basic overview of the two devices and their basic mechanism: Spectrum Analyzer The spectrum analyzer is an electronic device that is used for […]
Basics of waveguides
There is something almost comical about a waveguide – the notion that electromagnetic signals or usable power could pass through a hollow pipe and that techniques appropriate to the plumber’s trade would be needed to bend the pipe and make it leak proof. Flanged joints and gaskets are actually used! To understand what is going […]
Oliver Heaviside and Maxwell’s equations
Oliver Heaviside’s life, spanning the years 1850 to 1925, began and ended in squalid surroundings. He was never entirely free of the dark melancholy that characterized his private as well as public persona. Beyond a little primary schooling, he was self-educated. His reading of James Clerk Maxwell’s Treatise On Electricity And Magnetism was a revelation. […]
Answer this 5-question quiz, win a measurement handbook
What’s your test IQ? Answer this five-question quiz and be entered to win one of 20 Low Level Measurement Handbooks graciously donated to us by Keithley Instruments, a Tektronix company. Now in its 7th edition, Keithley’s soft-cover 240-page engineering handbook is the classic resource for both novice and seasoned engineers. The handbook describes theoretical and […]
Joseph Henry and mutual inductance
Joseph Henry (1797-1878) discovered the phenomenon of mutual inductance independently and more or less simultaneously with Michael Faraday. Because Faraday published his results a little earlier, he received credit for the discovery. But due to the large volume and quality of his published research, Henry gained stature early in life. He was six years younger […]
