Because they contain millions or even billions of microscopic components etched onto a silicon substrate, it is not feasible to breadboard integrated circuits prior to manufacture. And yet it would not be good policy to do a production run of ICs without a high degree of certainty that they will function as intended both internally […]
New Articles
Basics of SCADA systems
SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is widely used throughout the world wherever control and monitoring of remote industrial sites are desired. Most small electrical utility substations do not have workers on site. They are designed to run themselves. When the unexpected occurs and there is a malfunction, repairs are greatly facilitated if there is […]
Force gauges and their applications
Donald Loudermilk PCE Americas, Inc. www.pce-instruments.com Force gauges can be used in many situations of daily living when tensile and compressive forces need to be measured. Internal or external load cells convert a force into an electronic signal. The measuring range extends from 0.1 N up to 3,000 kN, depending on the application. Here are […]
Vector Network Analyzers now reach 43.5 GHz
MORGAN HILL, Calif., Oct. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Anritsu Company announces that it has extended the frequency coverage of its MS46322A Series ShockLine™ Economy Vector Network Analyzers (VNAs) and MS46122A Series ShockLine Compact VNAs to 43.5 GHz. By supporting the higher frequency, the low-cost VNAs can efficiently conduct S-parameter and time domain measurements on RF […]
When should you deal with abandoned wiring?
The National Electrical Code (NEC) requires the removal of some, but not all types of abandoned wiring. The mandate is generally applicable to what is commonly called low-voltage wiring, although this term never occurs in the NEC. The requirement is repeated in substantially the same form in various Code articles such as those covering coaxial, […]
Neutrons and neutrinos, and why
a DVM can’t measure either one
Neutrons and neutrinos, despite their similar names, are quite different entities. Both are electrically neutral particles, so they are unaffected by electromagnetic fields. That makes the measurement of these nuclear particles problematic. Ernest Rutherford’s preliminary (1911) model of the atom consisted of varying numbers of electrons orbiting about a nucleus. Like planets orbiting the sun, […]
Why you can’t measure cosmic
rays with a DMM
Cosmic ray is at once an umbrella term and a misnomer. It is not, as at one time believed, a form of electromagnetic radiation. It is a charged particle accelerated to a super-high energy level. Moreover, a ray may consist of any of a great number of particles, ranging from the simple electron to protons […]
Isaac Newton and Calculus
Isaac Newton’s great work, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (“Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy”), published in 1687. It contains laws of motion and universal gravitation, basically asserting that the same laws apply both to small objects on the surface of the earth and to all bodies in space including the earth. This perspective was widely accepted […]
Basics of magnetic permeability
Magnetism is a broad umbrella term that signifies an array of physical phenomena exhibited by materials subject to a magnetic field. All materials are influenced to some degree by the presence of a magnetic field, but in many the effect is slight. Some materials are attracted to a magnetic field. This property is known as […]
Differential Amplifier Basics, Usage and Differences
A differential amplifier has two inputs, one inverting and one non-inverting. Modern diff amps usually sit on a single chip. Inside the microchip or pair of discrete transistors, the positive and negative signals are added and the resultant becomes the single output. The difference between these two input voltages is amplified, while any common-mode voltage […]