In the race to achieve higher speed computation, conventional lithography-based Very Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) is bumping up against a brick wall that threatens to disrupt Moore’s Law which states that the number of transistors in a dense IC doubles about every two years. That formulation is more of an observation of past performance than an […]
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Basics of multiplexing
Multiplexing should be understood not as a specific operation but rather as an end product that may be achieved with different methods, sometimes in combination. The rationale is to economize on limited resources, particularly cabling or wireless bandwidth. The archetypal format would be to use a single pair of telegraph or telephone wires to simultaneously […]
Basics of LEDs
Every solid-state diode is a light-emitting diode (LED). The difference is that conventional solid-state diodes are not configured to produce sufficient light of the proper frequency, directed properly so it is useful as a source of visible light. A solid-state diode is composed of two semiconducting layers, frequently made of crystalline silicon, that have been […]
VIDEO: Using Cursors in the LeCroy Wavesurfer 3024 Digital Storage Oscilloscope
In the LeCroy Wavesurfer 3024, Cursors provide a convenient way to bracket portions of a waveform for the purpose of analysis and measurement.
Using Reference Waveforms in the Tektronix MDO 3104 Digital Storage Oscilloscope
In the Tektronix MDO 3104, the Reference capability provides a convenient way to store waveforms in the instrument’s memory for the purpose of comparison to other signals.
Using Cursors in the LeCroy Wavesurfer 3024 Digital Storage Oscilloscope
In the LeCroy Wavesurfer 3024, Cursors provide a convenient way to bracket portions of a waveform for the purpose of analysis and measurement.
Basics of antennas
An antenna is an electrical device, usually a specially sized and shaped metal body, that converts electrical power to radio waves for a transmitter and radio waves to electrical power for a receiver. Beyond this simple definition there is a large amount of technology that has to be implemented if it is actually to work […]
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 […]
Video: Prototyping electronic designs on a breadboard
Description of a breadboard, ringing it out with an ohmmeter
The FFT and the Universal Wavefunction
The Fourier Transform emerged from Joseph Fourier’s Analytic Theory of Heat (1822). Back then, of course, the focus was not on the behavior of electricity. Fourier’s insights pertained to non-electrical wave motion as in acoustics and propagation of energy in bodies of water. At present, Fourier analysis/synthesis has become applicable to electrical and electromagnetic fluctuation […]