Do you want assurance that cameras embedded in everyday devices don’t spy on you? Then you should check for cameras, SD card slots, and Wi-Fi-connections. We reviewed two devices that help you find those lurking spies. While discovering a hidden camera in an Airbnb, VRBO, or hotel is rare, there have been reports of travelers […]
Sensing
How to use remote sensing for DC programmable power supplies
In this FAQ, you’ll learn how to know if your test application needs sensing and how to properly wire a power supply to a load. Calibrating certain sensing circuits, such as those used in electric vehicles (EVs), is critical to get right. An inaccurate calibration of an automotive battery monitoring circuit could, for example, allow […]
High-speed digitizers add pulse generation
After the successful introduction of the Digital Pulse Generator (DPG) option for its medium-speed products, Spectrum Instrumentation has now added the same feature to its ultrafast digitizers (with up to 10 GS/s speed) and Arbitrary Waveform Generators. Available for the entire product line, the low-cost $325 option adds three to four independent digital sources for […]
That Maxwell book that was returned to a library 115 years late: what’s it about? Part 2
Work on resistance measurement, described in An Elementary Treatise on Electricity, helped pave the way to successful trans-Atlantic telegraphy. In Part 1, I discussed An Elementary Treatise on Electricity by James Clerk Maxwell. One volume made national news earlier this summer when it was returned to New Bedford, Mass. Free Public Library 115 years overdue. […]
That Maxwell book that was returned to a library 115 years late: what’s it about? (Part 1)
Published in 1881, An Elementary Treatise on Electricity evolved from notes Maxwell had written in preparation for lectures on electricity at the Cavendish Laboratory. In June 2023, the national media carried a story about a book 115 years overdue that was returned to the Free Public Library in New Bedford, Mass. The book turned out […]
Co-packaged optics: promises and complexities
Integrating optics into the same package as switching ASICs improves signal integrity and increases data rates, but challenges remain. Near-packaged optics could emerge as an interim solution to the problem. The constant need for more throughput in data centers pushes engineers to develop ever-faster optical and electrical links. In addition to designing for more speed, […]
What are the critical measurements in satellite uplinks and downlinks?
Noise measurement, LO substitution, receiver stress testing, power measurement, CCDF and PAPR characterization, and antenna-pattern measurement play critical roles in link budget, bit-error rate, and SNR requirements.
What is an instrument driver and why do I need one?
Instrument drivers take some of the sting out of controlling test instruments by adding an abstraction layer. Almost everyone who uses computers has had experiences with drivers, and probably not good ones. In the olden days, if you had wanted to hook an old printer up to a new computer, you would have searched through […]
I’ve got the measurement blues again
Back from a three-year hiatus, I’m covering test and measurement again. This time, it’s for EE World.
Engineer ambitiously or be acquired?
Emerson Electric makes a significant offer to acquire NI, which is fighting back.