EMI is the ghost in our machines, the phantom of our electronic operas. We create our systems with a specific purpose, and our engineering efforts aim to hone and optimize toward that goal. At the same time, lurking in the copper traces and wayward return paths are silent specters seeking to derail our plans. They haunt our designs undetected, biding their time until the final day … Read More → "Cadence Brings Clarity to EMI"
In this week’s Fish Fry podcast, we have a special preview of next week’s AltiumLive 2020 Virtual Summit with Ted Pawela (COO – Altium). Ted and I chat about the goals of this year’s conference, why high speed design will take center stage again this year, and why this conference is a unique collaboration between different engineering communities. We also take a closer look at how … Read More → "By the Electronics Design Community, For the Electronics Design Community"
I was just chatting with the guys and gals at Limata. These clever little scamps specialize in creating affordable laser direct imaging (LDI) solutions for printed circuit boards (PCBs). The exciting news is that they are about to turn the industry on its head because they’ve just introduced the ability to LDI the solder mask — all … Read More → "Laser Imaging PCB Solder Masks is a Game Changer"
In Part 1 of this two-part mini-series, we noted that there are trillions of dollars’ worth of equipment in factories around the globe. Also, that if any of these devices — pumps, motors, generators, fans, etc. — stop working unexpectedly, they can disrupt the operations of the … Read More → "I Just Created my First AI/ML App! (Part 2)"
“I learned how to measure before I knew what was size.” – Sofi Tukker, “House Arrest”
Let’s start by speaking some truth. Nothing about the “5 nanometer” CMOS process has any real relationship to five actual nanometers and transistor size. That train jumped off the rails years ago, and the semiconductor industry has inflicted tremendous self-harm by perpetuating the … Read More → "No More Nanometers"
“It is easier to write an incorrect program than to understand a correct one.” – programmers’ adage
My first real job was repairing hard disk drives. I’d open up the drives, clean the platters with an alcohol pad, and align the read/write heads using a screwdriver and an oscilloscope. The guy at the bench next to mine … Read More → "Tales from the Debugging Crypt"
