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Demanding More From Analog Takes Work - The design engineer and the vendor must have a ...


most recent messages 5/24/2013 1:39:01 PM RedDerek I will have to post about a design I was involve with some 20 years ago as an analog versus digital approach. Brad, it is being assembled as thoughts now, with finishing later. blogs message boards chat The Analog Brain Brian Bailey, Independent Consultant, 5/24/2013 Comment now 1 Comment In my last blog, Operations per Joule, I talked about digital, analog, and the brain -- comparing the energy efficiency of each and questioning the approach we take to solve problems. Most recent post, DEREK.KOONCE, 5/24/2013 11:46:59 AM Interesting points on the men's versus women's brains. I remember when digital started... PIC (& Software) 1, Op-Amps 0 Doug Grant, Independent Consultant, 5/24/2013 Comment now 6 comments I have a current project that requires sensing an analog voltage, and turning on an LED when each of three thresholds is reached. The analog voltage relates to a detected RF power level (in the 50 to 100 watt range, at HF), and the whole circuit is powered by scavenging a little bit of the RF power and making some dc from it. I need about 100 of these ... Most recent post, RedDerek, 5/24/2013 1:39:01 PM I will have to post about a design I was involve with some 20 years ago as an analog... 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance Steve Taranovich, Senior Technical Editor, EDN, 5/23/2013 Comment now 19 comments Designers, who need to build high performance real-time sensing systems, are greatly challenged since every building block in the system needs to be built with a technology that allows that building block to achieve its best performance. 3D stacking is emerging as an option to allow the integration of those heterogeneous blocks. Most recent post, Brad Albing, 5/24/2013 1:21:03 PM Ah... element 6 - I get it. Did You Say 'Programmable Analog'? Bill Schweber, Engineer, Author, Editor, 5/23/2013 Comment now 9 comments Whenever I see a new product announcement saying an analog or mixed-signal component is "programmable," my first thought is simple: "in what way?" Often, it's not called out clearly or until the end of the press release. Most recent post, Brad Albing, 5/24/2013 1:22:13 PM I think I'll apply for a patent. Build or Buy? The Design Rules Remain the Same Vincent Biancomano, Contributing Editor, 5/22/2013 Comment now 3 comments The last time I visited the "build or buy" issue, a lot of small commercial engineering outfits were looking to the big companies for in-house support for their various products for the burgeoning wireless market. Most recent post, Netcrawl, 5/24/2013 7:03:57 AM @analoging you're right! ARM is doing a great job, it provide a low cost rapid platform... An Instrument on a Chip? A Look Back Dennis Feucht, Electronics Engineer, 5/22/2013 Comment now 9 comments The story of analog integration in test instruments is long, storied, and rife with names renowned in the annals of analog design who innovated upon each others' design to realize the foundation of today's circuits. So what is the state of integration of the analog circuitry in test instruments? Measurement on a chip started long ago and continues ... Most recent post, analoging , 5/23/2013 4:06:49 PM Ahhh, those were the days...running manual multi-meter measurements and recording... SiC Power Inversion Chips for PV & EVs Brian Coppa, Director, Coppa Consulting, 5/21/2013 Comment now 2 comments Uncertainty hangs over the market for power devices made with the wide-bandgap semiconductor SiC (silicon carbide), due to uncertainty as to when EVs (electric vehicles) will adopt them for various applications under the hood, according to a recent study by analyst firm Yole Développement. Most recent post, analoging , 5/23/2013 3:39:15 PM Thanks for the comments. SiC has a lot riding on the future of electric cars- no... Field Programmable Analog & Gallium Arsenide Scott Elder, Senior Analog IC Design Consultant, 5/21/2013 Comment now 4 comments "Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) is the silicon of the future. Is and always will be." That was the humorous perspective circulating among analog technologists in the late 1980s. In a similar vein, I can't count the number of times I've had people ask me when will the world see a field programmable analog array (FPAA) -- the analog counterpart to the digital ... Most recent post, Brad Albing, 5/23/2013 10:31:01 AM Hmm... 3-D printing an IC at your desk - that's actually not a bad idea. Probably... Operations per Joule Brian Bailey, Independent Consultant, 5/20/2013 Comment now 17 comments It has been estimated that the human brain performs 3.6x1015 synaptic operations per second and, from blood flow and oxygen consumption, consumes 12W. That means it manages 3x1014 operations per Joule, yet it is made up of slow and noisy components. Most recent post, Brad Albing, 5/24/2013 1:15:02 PM OK - that explanation makes good sense. Thanks. Using ICs in the Land Beyond Their App-Notes Derek Koonce, Owner, DDK Interactive Consulting Services, 5/20/2013 Comment now 7 comments Designing circuits is the fun part of engineering. And, as has been often noted here on Planet Analog, finding solutions to problems is what keeps an engineer employed. As an engineer, it is necessary to work with the parts available to meet design criteria. This sometimes necessitates using a part for a purpose for which it was not intended. Most recent post, Vishal Prajapati, 5/23/2013 7:29:42 AM The basic circuit is exactly a Joule Thief. I have worked on this device with same... Thermocouple Nodules, Cold Junctions & Integration Opportunities Dennis Feucht, Electronics Engineer, 5/17/2013 Comment now 13 comments When measurement instruments reach their specified performance limits, one comes to a gray zone separating reality from fantasy. Thanks to sensors, this zone is widening. Most recent post, Brad Albing, 5/23/2013 10:41:03 AM Yep - I knew that - but you're right - lots of folks get that one wrong. That'd... Next 5 blogs+ All blogs All blogs most commented 19 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance Steve Taranovich, Senior Technical Editor, EDN, 5/23/2013 17 Operations per Joule Brian Bailey, Independent Consultant, 5/20/2013 9 An Instrument on a Chip? A Look Back Dennis Feucht, Electronics Engineer, 5/22/2013 9 Did You Say 'Programmable Analog'? Bill Schweber, Engineer, Author, Editor, 5/23/2013 7 Using ICs in the Land Beyond Their App-Notes Derek Koonce, Owner, DDK Interactive Consulting Services, 5/20/2013 blog roll message boards chat 5/24/2013 1:39:01 PM Re: The Path of Least Resistance: I will have to post about a design I was involve with some 20 years ago as an analog versus digital approach. Brad, it is being assembled as thoughts now, with finishing later. RedDerek on PIC (& Software) 1, Op-Amps 0 5/24/2013 1:34:32 PM Re: Test: >> I've seen a few coming right out of school who are not educated (with regard to having done lab bench work and tinkering). Watch out, they are good in sims as they preach in these online schools. It is a matter of time when we will... goafrit2 on The REAL Cost for a Custom IC 5/24/2013 1:32:24 PM Re: Discussion expanding: That is an interecting link. LinkedIn needs to find better ways managing their URLs as that is not very cool enough. goafrit2 on The REAL Cost for a Custom IC 5/24/2013 1:22:13 PM Re: First programmable IC: I think I'll apply for a patent. Brad Albing on Did You Say 'Programmable Analog'? 5/24/2013 1:21:03 PM Re: Roadmap?: Ah... element 6 - I get it. Brad Albing on 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance 5/24/2013 1:15:02 PM Re: Analog precision: OK - that explanation makes good sense. Thanks. Brad Albing on Operations per Joule 5/24/2013 1:01:57 PM The Path of Least Resistance: Doug's design problem is a great example of what is wrong in analog design. Analog designers and analog design companies complain that there are not enough people pursuing analog. Well, that's because it is hard and if there is... Scott Elder on PIC (& Software) 1, Op-Amps 0 5/24/2013 12:51:59 PM Re: movement to digital: As I mentioned in response to Dirceu's comment, there are times when you ought to use more digital + S/W. I also mentioned it here: Analog Engineers Write Code! Or Maybe Not I'll have to learn me some of the code writing stuff. Brad Albing on PIC (& Software) 1, Op-Amps 0 5/24/2013 12:48:35 PM Bernd Riemann commented on Linkedin: I am in a way with Mike, but slightly disagree with his thinking of programmable analog blocks. They are as sub-optimal or ineffecient as an ordinary FPGA is. It all depends on the utilization of the blocks and the fact that the few solutions... SteveTaranovich on Did You Say 'Programmable Analog'? 5/24/2013 12:47:25 PM Mike Koen comments from Linkedin: Roughly speaking if an electronics oriented problem can be solved digitally is should be because it is highly programmable using standard cells or the equivalent. Analog solutions by it's very nature is not programmable in the sense that digital... SteveTaranovich on Did You Say 'Programmable Analog'? 5/24/2013 12:44:39 PM Re: Analog x Digital multiplication: Altho' it pains me to admit it, sometimes it's better to use the more "digital-intensive" method to solve design problems. This 3-phase power measurement is just such an example. Brad Albing on PIC (& Software) 1, Op-Amps 0 5/24/2013 12:22:04 PM movement to digital: With the MicroChip PIC controller line becoming more mature and manufacturing costs being reduced due to scale, the move from analog to digital-analog is gaining momentum. TI has jumpped in as well as several other analog companies. They see... DEREK.KOONCE on PIC (& Software) 1, Op-Amps 0 Next 5 messages+ All messages All messages blog roll message boards chat 4/11/2013 4:14:10 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: So I found these awesome Current Sensors but I don't know how effective they are. Help! here's the link <a href="http://www.magnelab.com/products/Current-Voltage-Sensors/three-phase-ropect%C2%AE-ac-current-sensor-rogowski-coil-rcs-1800">rogowski... SGreenovich Newbie 1/16/2013 2:20:07 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Good closing comment Steve. Thanks Steve and Bruce for joining the chat. Brad Albing Blogger 1/16/2013 2:16:59 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Gotta run guys---I really would love to do this again! I'm off to a conference call to pick the brain of another expert for an upcoming article---Once we think we know everything and cannot learn anything new----we are lost! SteveTaranovich Blogger 1/16/2013 2:13:49 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Farhood Moraveji, technical director at TI commented to me, "Kludge boxes were a necessity in that test equipment did not exist that could measure the performance of the IC. These boxes often used some clever measurement tricks, which would... SteveTaranovich Blogger 1/16/2013 2:09:46 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Erroll Dietz said this about early IC designers, "Using design rules that they made up as they went along, these designers worked from transistor-kit parts, used copper-clad breadboards with sockets as design tools, and employed discrete resistors... SteveTaranovich Blogger 1/16/2013 2:07:26 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Right---"Figuring things out" shows good engineering thinking---I like that approach from that blog SteveTaranovich Blogger 1/16/2013 2:03:41 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: You might be interested in this blog, back a few months... http://e2e.ti.com/blogs_/b/thesignal/archive/2012/09/24/interview-questions-memorable-times-on-both-sides.aspx Bruce Trump Newbie 1/16/2013 2:03:11 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Experience and practice under the tutelage of a good mentor is critical SteveTaranovich Blogger 1/16/2013 2:02:33 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: It's difficult to teach an engineer to have an intuitive understanding. Brad Albing Blogger 1/16/2013 2:01:34 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Synthesis ability comes from real experience and practice that they don't get at undergrad level. The genesis, I believe, is an intuitive understanding of how circuits work. Bruce Trump Newbie Next 5 chats+		flash poll All polls educational resources sponsored content by our sponsors Analog Latch, One-Shot Circuits Operate with Close to Zero Power Industrial Systems Need the Added Protection of Security ICs Intelligent Lighting Controller Measures Ambient Light and Tracks Time Map Colors of a CIE Plot and Color Temperature Using an RGB Color Sensor ISM Transmitter Has Constant Transmitter Power for Varying Supply Voltage Adding Autorestart Capability to the MAX16046 EEPROM-Programmable System Manager Signal Conditioning for a Sigma-Delta ADC in Industrial Multichannel Data Acquisition Systems information resources sponsored content by our sponsors 24-Bit Sigma-Delta ADC Reduces the Requirement for an Analog Front-End (AFE) for ECG/EKG Trade-Offs in Analog IC Performance, Or Challenges When You Integrate More Analog onto a Digital Design Simplify AISG Control Systems by Integrating the Hardware Discrete Transceiver All resources follow Planet Analog on Twitter like us on facebook our partners

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