Articles – Page 6

Reinventing the Wheel… and the Motor… and the Powertrain

August 14, 2025

There are lots of things I know nothing about. If I were to create a list, electric motors would likely appear near the top. I do remember one of my lecturers at university droning on and on about electric motors and generators. Unfortunately, I don’t actually recall anything he said. All I vaguely remember is him sounding a bit like the muted, mwah-wah-WAH-wah trombone noises you hear when the adults are talking in Charlie Brown cartoons.

I wish I’d paid more attention when I had the chance because it … Read More → "Reinventing the Wheel… and the Motor… and the Powertrain"

New FPGA Conference and Exhibition Coming to the UK and USA

by Max Maxfield

August 12, 2025

If you have anything to do with the design and deployment of FPGA-based products and systems, then this is your lucky day because I’m poised to tell you about a new FPGA-centric conference and exhibition that’s heading your way. With events scheduled in both the UK and the US, this bodacious beauty will focus solely on FPGA designers and developers. No executive daydreaming, corporate fairy dust, unicorn metrics, brochureware, or “marketing poetry”—just nitty-gritty engineering know-how.

I’m starting to feel like an old fool (but where are we going to … Read More → "New FPGA Conference and Exhibition Coming to the UK and USA"

The Wizard of Oz and Mozart Meet Generative and Agentic AI

by Max Maxfield

August 7, 2025

I’ve barely managed to wrap (what I laughingly call) my mind around the concept of generative AI (gen AI), only to find that the current buzz on the street is increasingly turning to the topic of agentic AI, but first…

Apropos of nothing at all, I just read an interesting article on TechCrunch about how The Wizard of Oz has been blown up by AI. This is in relation to the Read More → "The Wizard of Oz and Mozart Meet Generative and Agentic AI"

Plug-in Replacement APDs Dramatically Boost the Performance of Optical Systems

by Max Maxfield

August 5, 2025

On the off chance you were wondering, the city of Sheffield in England boasts two main seats of learning: Sheffield University (a.k.a. the University of Sheffield) and Sheffield Hallam University. The latter was formerly known as Sheffield Polytechnic. This was deep in the mists of time when I wore a younger man’s clothes and studied for my degree at that august establishment.

Both these institutions have storied histories. The origins of the University of Sheffield date back to the Sheffield School of Medicine (established in 1828), Firth College (established in 1879), and … Read More → "Plug-in Replacement APDs Dramatically Boost the Performance of Optical Systems"

The Radio Shack at the Other End of the Universe

by Steven Leibson

August 4, 2025

When I wrote “The Radio Shack at the End of the Universe” for EEJournal back in 2018, I assumed it described my last visit to a Radio Shack. The number of Radio Shack stores had crashed following two corporate bankruptcies. All the corporate-owned stores had been closed and the real estate sold off. What remained was a dwindling collection of dealers and affiliate stores, like the TV and radio repair shop named Crystal TV, located in Hollister, Colorado, which my wife and I had visited … Read More → "The Radio Shack at the Other End of the Universe"

Powering the Ambient IoT with Over-the-Air Wireless Power Networks

by Max Maxfield

July 31, 2025

The older I get, the more I recall how new technologies made their way onto the market and into the collective consciousness when I wore a younger man’s clothes. Paradoxically, it also seems that the older I get, the more I forget, but since I don’t remember what I’ve forgotten, this really doesn’t prey, play, or weigh on my mind.

In the case of technologies that impinge on the unwashed masses (of which I’m a proud card-carrying member), a technological introduction is invariably accompanied by lots of messaging. … Read More → "Powering the Ambient IoT with Over-the-Air Wireless Power Networks"

An Awesome Addition to the Power Supply Market

by Max Maxfield

July 29, 2025

There’s a familiar expression along the lines of, “You can’t teach an old Max new tricks,” but that’s not true because I’m learning new tricks all the time. Take power supplies, for example…

I’m ashamed to say that when I was young and foolish, I didn’t give power supplies the recognition they deserved. My focus was on the digital logic side of things—the power supply was just something that lurked around in the background. In fact, I would rarely give power supplies much thought at all… … Read More → "An Awesome Addition to the Power Supply Market"

Is AI Poised to Run Amok (Part 1)?

by Max Maxfield

July 24, 2025

I know… I know… everywhere we turn these days, we’re presented with yet another story focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and/or machine learning (ML). Do we really need one more? Well, since I’m poised to pen one, I’d have to say “Yes” (otherwise, I’d have to go back and start again, and that’s a future I’m not prepared to embrace).

Writing the preceding paragraph caused a song by Wings to pop into my head (and that’s not something I expected to hear myself saying when … Read More → "Is AI Poised to Run Amok (Part 1)?"

Simulating Antenna(s) to Bits and Back in Wireless Communication and Radar Systems

by Max Maxfield

July 22, 2025

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by a company whose name requires no introduction, so I won’t introduce it (I’m joking—I’ll introduce it later). The topic of this talk was today’s “latest and greatest” tools and techniques for designing wireless communication and radar systems, with an emphasis on simulation.

Today’s simulation tools blow me away, but this got me wondering how analog and radio frequency (RF) engineers designed things deep in the mists of time before simulators entered the scene.

WTW (“What the What”)? Another 100 Mindboggling Columns!

by Max Maxfield

July 17, 2025

“Good grief, Charlie Brown!” I just exclaimed upon realizing that I’ve hit another 100-column milestone (including this one) here on EE Journal. That makes 400 columns since I joined the community.

As my columns average around 1,500 words apiece, that’s a whopping 600,000 words—each one handpicked at the crack of dawn whilst still glistening with the morning dew, fresh, fragrant, and full of promise.

The scary part? I’m a two-fingered hunt-and-peck typist, which explains why my fingers are so fatigued by the fall of the day. … Read More → "WTW (“What the What”)? Another 100 Mindboggling Columns!"