Articles – Page 64

Mega-Cool Laser-Based Sub-Jellybean-Sized Multizone Ranging Sensor

October 14, 2021

I’ve just been playing with one of the new VL53L5CX Time-of-Flight 8×8 Multizone Ranging Sensors from STMicroelectronics. On the bright side (no pun intended), this involved a laser beam bouncing all around my office. Sad to relate, however, I couldn’t see it because it was outside the range of human vision.

I tell you — every day I’m introduced to some amazing technology like this new sensor, which makes me cogitate and ruminate on how fast and how far things have progressed since I started out. In … Read More → "Mega-Cool Laser-Based Sub-Jellybean-Sized Multizone Ranging Sensor"

Intel’s Stuart Pann Explains the Company’s use of Outside Foundries

Is This New News, or Simply More of the Same?

by Steven Leibson

October 13, 2021

Stuart Pann, Senior Vice President of Intel’s Corporate Planning Group, published an interesting “opinion” piece titled “Expanding Intel’s Foundry Partnerships: A Critical Piece of IDM 2.0” in August. “IDM 2.0” is the term Intel uses to describe its use of process technologies from other foundries in addition to Intel’s home-grown process technologies. The term “IDM” means “integrated device manufacturer” and refers to a chipmaker that manufactures its own silicon die. … Read More →

Eeek! 100 Captivating Columns and Counting

by Max Maxfield

October 12, 2021

I have a friend called Bob (spelled the usual way and pronounced with a silent ‘q’). In fact, as fate would have it, I’ve been blessed with an abundance of Bobs (and that’s not something most people expect to hear themselves say on a daily basis).

In order to distinguish between members of this bodacious bunch of Bobs when I’m conversing with my wife (Gina the Gorgeous), I add a descriptor, such as “Carpenter Bob,” “Semiconductor Bob,” “Cyber Sleuth Bob,” “Marketing Wizard Bob,” “Bible Study Bob,” and “ … Read More → "Eeek! 100 Captivating Columns and Counting"

Samsung’s 50-Mpixel GN2 Image Sensor Sports Pro Camera Features

Could this Sensor Kill Standalone Cameras Completely?

by Steven Leibson

October 11, 2021

In August, at the Hot Chips 33 conference, held online this year thanks to COVID-19, Sooki Yoon described the Samsung 50-Mpixel GN2 image sensor, which the company announced earlier this year. This sensor is destined to be used in mobile phones such as the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra/Pro, according to Yoon’s presentation, but it creates a camera with features that shame those of most compact, mirrorless, and dSLR cameras.

Camera phones have … Read More → "Samsung’s 50-Mpixel GN2 Image Sensor Sports Pro Camera Features"

Meet the Tahiti ANC+ENC+WoV SoC Solution!

by Max Maxfield

October 7, 2021

Did the abundance of abbreviations with which the title of this column abounds cause you to pause for a moment and think, “Say, what?” Well, that’s just what I thought when the guys and gals at Synaptics introduced me to their AS33970 Tahiti System-on-Chip (SoC) device, but first…

Human-machine interfaces (HMIs) have come a long way since I was a lad. These days, of course, we think of HMIs in … Read More → "Meet the Tahiti ANC+ENC+WoV SoC Solution!"

IonQ has a Working Quantum Computer that Operates at Room Temperature

It’s All Done with Lasers

by Steven Leibson

October 6, 2021

I know I’ll be in trouble for saying this, but Professor Christopher Monroe gave a presentation about IonQ’s Quantum computing element at Hot Chips 33, and I very nearly understood it. That does not usually happen when I listen to quantum explanations, which usually end up as a superposition of many understood, poorly understood, and completely misunderstood ideas. I don’t think it’s my fault. Understanding the fundamentals of quantum computing is hard. Implementing a working quantum computer is even harder.

Not Normal

How Long Will it Take for the Chip Shortage to Ease?

Hint: Don’t Hold Your Breath says Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger

by Steven Leibson

October 4, 2021

When can I see you again?
I’ve been waiting out here for so long and I don’t seem to find a reason
To keep building these castles out of snow – “When,” Susanne Sundfør

The above song “When,” written and sung by Norwegian singer-songwriter Susanne Sundfør, served as the haunting opening theme for the recent soapy World War II miniseries … Read More → "How Long Will it Take for the Chip Shortage to Ease?"

A Hands-On Guide to Designing Embedded Systems

by Max Maxfield

September 30, 2021

There are a lot of books available to tell you all about the theoretical side of designing and building embedded systems, but not so many that tackle the nitty-gritty details involved in developing embedded systems that actually work and keep on working, until now…

When I was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed young lad poised to spend the next four years of my life slogging away to earn my hard-fought BSc in what they used to call Control Engineering — which boasted a core of math accompanied by electronics, mechanics, and fluidics/hydraulics (“ … Read More → "A Hands-On Guide to Designing Embedded Systems"

To Get a Good Job, Talk Posh, Not Sheffield Tyke!

by Max Maxfield

September 28, 2021

In previous columns, I’ve made mention of the fact that my mother is prone to grabbing the conversational reins with gusto and abandon (and, it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, aplomb). She waits for an opportunity to present itself and then leaps into action employing one of her classic opening gambits along the lines of, “Speaking of which, I met Mrs Greebles outside the fishmonger’s the other day, and she said…”

And the hours … Read More → "To Get a Good Job, Talk Posh, Not Sheffield Tyke!"

FPGAs: Made in China

¿ Quién es más “pura”?

by Steven Leibson

September 27, 2021

It all started with a post from one of my LinkedIn connections, Tim Davis:

“It seems like the golden age of the pure FPGA is disappearing to me. Am I right?

“The warning shot, that FPGAs were on the way out, was delivered three years ago by Xilinx CEO Victor Peng. See Steve Leibson’s EE Journal article: Why does Xilinx say That its New 7nm Versal ‘ACAP’ isn’ … Read More → "FPGAs: Made in China"