Each week, the editor of Planet Analog finds items of interest and then features them in two sections, entitled “Also of Interest” and “Elementals”. Each cites items from publications outside the Planet Analog and EETimes portfolios. And we also have an archive of recent weekly Planet Analog Newsletters, as pdf files; see the list at the very bottom.
“Also of Interest” and “Elementals” is an extension of our belief that engineers are interested in on-going tutorial on obviously relevant topics, as well as the serendipity of exploring topics which are not directly related to their jobs, but which will broaden their knowledge and sometimes spurs innovative and creative approaches. The first box highlights a items of general interest to the engineer, while the second highlights basic and tutorial electronic-engineering material.
Among the publications we check are IEEE Spectrum , Machine Design , Design News , Laser Focus World , EDN , Electronic Design , NASA Tech Briefs , Portable Design , and Physics Today , plus others.
Special note : due to our extremely long queue of items for the “Also of Interest” and “Elementals” sections, we've increased the number we're showing, at least for the next few weeks until the queue gets down to a more reasonable size. The price, of course, remains unchanged! 😉
Consider these items as “online-only” extras, and worth a look. (Please note: there are also links to the previous weeks' editions, below this week's items.)
Also of Interest:
- A novel design puts a spin on conventional hydroelectrics to harvest energy from the sea:
“Electricity From Ocean Waves,”
Machine Design , March 5, 2009 - Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) has been around since the 1940s, yet it is unappreciated as a way of finding bad designs before parts get made:
” Avoiding Design Problems with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing,”
Machine Design , March 5, 2009 - Software-defined radio will let cellphones speak Wi-Fi, 3G, WiMax, and more:
“The Universal Handset,”
IEEE Spectrum , April 2009 - Nanogenerators could serve in medical, defense and consumer electronics' applications:
“From Hamsters to Vocal Chords: Material Draws Energy from Any Mechanical Motion,”
Design News , April 2009 - Successful scanning requires integration of the mirror, its mounting, and the motor, requiring tradeoffs in terms of materials, mechanical fixturing, and scanning parameters:
“OPTICS FOR SCANNING: Rapid scanning applications drive mirror design,”
Laser Focus World , March 2009
Elementals:
- Understanding the properties of the materials for fabricating high-frequency filters, such as substrates and conductors, can improve the simulation accuracy and hardware performance:
“Making Manufacturing Choices For X-Band BPFS,”
Microwaves & RF , February 2009 - This analysis examines the system performance impact for the phase noise contributions of the various PLLs within the transmitter frequency chain of a WiMAX access point:
“Gauge Phase Noise Impact On WiMAX APs,”
Microwaves & RF , February 2009 - Auto-ID technology is implemented in several different ways, including barcodes, lasers, voice recognition and biometrics:
“RFID: The Next Generation Auto-ID Technology,”
Microwave Journal , March 2009 - Learn how lead-free alternatives and their associated increase in reflow temperatures affect connector reliability and performance:
“Designing for ROHS: Select the right lead-free-connector design for heat-sensitive applications,”
EDN , March 5, 2009 - The bandwidths and frequency-hopping behavior of ultrawideband devices impose stringent test challenges:
“Testing WiMedia UWB,”
Test & Measurement World , February 2009
Previous “Also of Interest” and “Elementals” Editions:
Recent Planet Analog Newsletters:
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