The operational amplifier (op-amp) has been one of the most successful integrated circuits. A type of differential amplifier with high gain, the differential inputs and single output enable this small, inexpensive IC to use negative feedback in a wide variety of applications, in which its gain (hundreds of thousands of times higher than the difference […]
FAQ
Remote Communication with USBTMC
Simple connections employing USB can replace more expensive GPIB setups in test instrumentation. Aaron Fernando, B&K Precision Corp. Engineers from a variety of industries use USB and USBTMC (USB Test & Measurement Class) to remotely control test and measurement instruments from a host computer. It is useful to compare USBTMC to the widely used GPIB […]
What you should know about Wi-Fi 6 and the 6-GHz band
While there are still interference issues to be resolved, new specifications for Wi-Fi in the 6-GHz band will bring instantly better wireless performance. Eve Danel | LitePoint Wi-Fi technology turns 20 this year, and it has proven to be successful beyond the wildest expectations. The recent announcement by the FCC to consider allowing 1,200 MHz […]
How standards and conformance tests shape the future of 5G New Radio
Specs for 5G NR release-15 have been finalized and plans call for product introductions this year. Sheri DeTomasi | Keysight Technologies, Inc. The development of 5G standards and their commercial rollout appears to be on a fast track. Mobile operators and network equipment makers are conducting field trials and the first smartphones are expected out […]
Basics of cavity resonators
Experimenters beware! If you think it might be instructive to dismantle a microwave oven and power up the magnetron to make a space gun, don’t do it. A microwave gun (called a magnetron) in a state other than as manufactured has numerous potential hazards. (Nevertheless, you can find a lot of YouTube videos describing exactly […]
The difference between scanning electron microscopes and tunneling scanning electron microscopes
Compared to an optical microscope, the electron microscope achieves far greater resolution and magnification by taking advantage of the wave aspect of electrons. An electron’s wavelength is typically 1/100,000 that of visible light. Resolutions of 50 pm and 10 million-X magnification have been achieved, far better than the 200-mm resolution and 2,000X magnification of a […]
The difference between CCD and CMOS image sensing
Charge-coupled devices (CCDs) and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology have been in fierce yet friendly competition. Fierce because valuable market share is contested, friendly because the rival digital camera technologies have much in common. It is ironic that the more-costly CCD sensor is used in the most advanced astrophotography instruments and also in low-end point-and-shoot cameras, […]
Difference between Cat 5e and Cat 6a cable
Cat 5e (enhanced) and 6a (augmented) are the most frequently-used media in residential and commercial Ethernet networks. Cat 6a has higher bandwidth and is faster, but the less expensive Cat 5e is often chosen when adequate for the application. It performs well up to 100 MHz. In contrast to coaxial cable, used in the first […]
What you need to know about information theory
A lot of the testing and verification activities of EEs today centers on concepts having a theoretical basis in Claude Shannon’s (of Nyquist-Shannon renown) article titled, A Mathematical Theory of Communication, which appeared in 1948 in the Bell System Technical Journal. Shannon’s full treatise gets to be quite mathematical. Fortunately, some of the fundamental concepts […]
Understanding total harmonic distortion measurements
Most electronics engineers and technicians have a good understanding of total harmonic distortion (THD). But there are a few elusive details that come into play during THD measurements. THD is the ratio of the sum of the powers of all harmonic components to the power of the fundamental frequency. Properly speaking, the fundamental frequency is […]