Articles – Page 16

The Rise and Fall of Heathkit – Part 3: The Microcomputer Kit Era

November 18, 2024

Chas Gilmore joined the Heath Company in 1966 as a design engineer in the company’s Scientific Instruments group. By 1976, he was director of engineering for Heath’s technical products, which included amateur radio, instrumentation, marine, automotive, and weather products. This article, Part 3 of a series, includes portions of an interview I conducted with Gilmore in October. This article picks up Gilmore’s narrative starting in 1976 and includes the development of Heath’s early microcomputer products, starting with the H8.

In the early part of the interview, Gilmore described meeting and working with Lou … Read More → "The Rise and Fall of Heathkit – Part 3: The Microcomputer Kit Era"

Intelligently Transporting Electrical and Optical Signals

by Max Maxfield

November 14, 2024

Back in the day, when computers ran standalone and there was no such thing as networks, I used to be reasonably confident that I had at least a vague understanding as to what was going on. Silicon chips talked to other silicon chips and circuit boards talked to other circuit boards using electrical signals travelling over copper wires. If you wanted to send a message over longer distances, you could write a letter, make a phone call, or send a telegram (well, that’s the way it felt).

As an aside, one of … Read More → "Intelligently Transporting Electrical and Optical Signals"

The Rise and Fall of Heathkit – Part 2: The 1960s through the mid-1970s

by Steven Leibson

November 13, 2024

Chas Gilmore joined the Heath Company in 1966 as a design engineer in the company’s Scientific Instruments group and worked at the Heath Company on and off for more than two decades, eventually becoming VP of product development, marketing, and sales. This article includes portions of an interview I conducted with Gilmore in October. It covers the heyday of pre-computer Heathkits in the 1960s and 1970s.

Steve Leibson: You joined Heath in 1966.

Chas Gilmore: I was with the Scientific Instruments group at that time. The … Read More → "The Rise and Fall of Heathkit – Part 2: The 1960s through the mid-1970s"

There’s Exciting News on the Multi-Modal AI SoC Front

by Max Maxfield

November 12, 2024

As is often the case, I’m amazed by how so many things seem to be interrelated and interconnected. I’m sorry… I feel an aside coming on… I cannot help myself… just saying “interconnected” reminds me of the book “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency,” which was written by the late great Douglas Adams.

As you may recall, Dirk is an unconventional detective who believes in the “fundamental interconnectedness of all things.” The idea is that everything in the universe is interrelated, meaning that even seemingly random events or trivial details can … Read More → "There’s Exciting News on the Multi-Modal AI SoC Front"

The Rise and Fall of Heathkit – Part 1: Early Days

by Steven Leibson

November 11, 2024

If you came of age in the 1960s or 1970s and then later became an EE, chances are you’re more than casually acquainted with Heathkit. Many engineers started their budding careers by building one or more kits made by the Heath Company. I certainly did. When I stumbled across a brief interview with Chas Gilmore, who joined the Heath Company in 1966 as a design engineer and worked at the Heath Company on and off for more than two decades, eventually becoming VP of product development, marketing, and sales, I knew I needed to interview him.

< … Read More →

Customized Analog ASSPs for Smart Factories and Industry 4.0

by Max Maxfield

November 7, 2024

I’m a digital logic design engineer by trade. In this uncertain world in which we live, I find comfort and take solace in the fact that you know where you stand with a trusty 0 or 1 in the digital domain. By comparison, I view the wibbly-wobbly analog arena as being inherently unsure, undecided, and uncertain. You never know what to expect with an analog signal.

Ironically, this means I have tremendous respect for those who dive deeply into the analog waters (although I have to say their view that digital is only a … Read More → "Customized Analog ASSPs for Smart Factories and Industry 4.0"

In Memoriam: Charlie Sporck, Former CEO of National Semiconductor

by Steven Leibson

November 6, 2024

Charles (Charlie) Sporck, a former CEO of National Semiconductor, died in October. He was a true semiconductor pioneer – a contemporary of Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore – who started working at Fairchild Semiconductor as a production manager in 1959 when he knew virtually nothing about semiconductors. Sporck’s claim to fame is transforming National Semiconductor from a failing enterprise into a chip-making powerhouse and analog IC leader during the 1970s and 1980s. National was the first semiconductor company to reach $1 billion in annual sales, during Sporck’s tenure as CEO. That was in 1981. A mechanical engineer, Sporck focused on … Read More → "In Memoriam: Charlie Sporck, Former CEO of National Semiconductor"

Altera unveils slightly more detail about the Agilex 3 FPGA family a year after announcing it

by Steven Leibson

November 4, 2024

At Altera’s recent Innovators Day, the company’s CEO Sandra Rivera mostly rehashed the newly freed FPGA company’s goals and plans. She also disclosed just a little more information about the upcoming Agilex 3 FPGA family, slated to become Altera’s low-end offering in the growing Agilex FPGA family of families. In her keynote presentation, Rivera said that the Agilex 3 FPGA family would include devices with 25K to 135K logic elements, which squarely overlays the company’s aging Cyclone V FPGA family. The Agilex 3 family will therefore usher end-product designs in the Cyclone V FPGA class … Read More → "Altera unveils slightly more detail about the Agilex 3 FPGA family a year after announcing it"

Arrggghhh! Now I Want an NI mioDAQ! (Ignore the ‘!’)

by Max Maxfield

October 31, 2024

For those who don the undergarments of authority and stride the corridors of power, pompously parading the insignia of the punctuation police and SEO security, it should be noted that the title to this column in no way ends with an exclamation mark, so there are no SEO concerns to concern you there!

Moving on… have you ever found yourself desperately wanting to own something you didn’t even know existed just a few short minutes earlier? This just happened to me. I’ll tell you about that in a moment, but first … Read More → "Arrggghhh! Now I Want an NI mioDAQ! (Ignore the ‘!’)"

What if Your Strawberries Could Talk?

by Max Maxfield

October 29, 2024

So, there I was, happily minding my own business, when my email system went “ping” and I looked up to see a message with a subject line saying, “What if Your Strawberries Could Talk? Now They Can!” Unfortunately, I was obliged to lose the “Now They Can!” part from my column title. This is because—as I’ve mentioned before—those who don the undergarments of authority and stride the corridors of power have forbidden me from terminating the titles to my columns with exclamation marks. This would leave “Now They Can” (without an exclamation mark) looking … Read More → "What if Your Strawberries Could Talk?"