With all the talk about 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, and 64-bit processors that is constantly swirling around us, I’m not sure how many of today’s younger engineers are aware that the first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004, was a 4-bit machine (although, in hindsight — which is the one true science — the part number is a bit (no pun intended) of a giveaway).
A working engineer posted this question, which appeared in my LinkedIn status stream earlier this year:
“I want to set up a home electronics test bench for maker projects. I would like a scope (perhaps with logic analyzer), waveform gen, power supply, volt/amp meter. My interests are high fidelity audio, and Arduino/RPi type projects. I am seeking recommendations … Read More → "Equipment Recommendations for a Home Electronics Lab"
As I’ve mentioned on a couple of occasions, one of my back-burner hobby projects is writing a book called Wroting Inglish: The Essential Guide to Writing English for Anyone Who Doesn’t Want to be Thought a Dingbat.
For example, in my Read More → "Bodaciously Big Brass Balls (or The Royal Order of Adjectives)"
In Parts 1 and 2 of this article, I discussed the founding stories of two early pioneers in electronic component distribution (Sager and Allied) and two post-war distributors (TTI and Digi-Key). These stories came from a new book published by the ECIA (Electronic Components Industry Association) titled “Read More → "Founding Stories of Famous Electronic Distributors, Part 3"
In Part 1 of this article, I discussed the founding stories of two early pioneers in electronic component distribution: Sager and Allied. These stories came from a new book published by the ECIA (Electronic Components Industry Association) titled “Electronic Component Industry Evolution: 100 … Read More → "Founding Stories of Famous Electronic Distributors, Part 2"
Electronic distributors are the Rodney Dangerfields of the electronics industry. CEOs heading component vendors view them mostly as a necessary evil. Worst case, they’re viewed as middlemen that erode profit. Best case, they’re a partner that requires a lot of support. Engineers have, in the past, also viewed distributors as a necessary evil. You turn to them when the component vendor won’t give … Read More → "Founding Stories of Famous Electronic Distributors, Part 1"
