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 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 , Microwave Journal , RF & Microwaves , and Physics Today , plus others.
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:
- Advanced melting techniques give metal alloys high-performance properties that standard air-melting processes can't deliver:
“How high-tech melting creates high-performance metal alloys,”
Machine Design , September 24, 2009 - The quest for subwavelength imaging through anisotropic metamaterials has produced a design for a bilayer lens that can restore a nearly perfect image:
“Bilayer metamaterial lens breaks the diffraction limit,”
Laser Focus World , September 2009 - Solution helps model unique driver that uses virtually any surface as a loudspeaker:
“COMSOL Solves Unique Speaker Design,”
Desktop Engineering , October 2009 - It's not enough to use firewalls or encrypt a couple of data files. Security is only as good as the weakest link:
“The “Keys” To Securing A System,”
Electronic Design , August 27, 2009
Elementals:
- The circuit presented here can convert voltages in the 1- to 30-kV range into “normal” electronic voltages, at power levels ranging from milliwatts to watts:
“Implement A Spark-Gap-Based Design For Low-Cost Energy Harvesting,”
Electronic Design , July 23, 2009 - Newer versions combine improved features, such as spectral response and dynamic range, integrated proximity, and digital communications:
“Ambient-light sensors pack in features to help applications get smarter, greener,”
EDN , August 6, 2009 - The bowtie antenna is known to be one of the most common UWB antennas since it has many advantages in its small size, light weight, wide bandwidth and omni-directional radiation pattern:
“A Unidirectional Horn-shaped Bowtie Antenna for Ultra High Resolution Radar,”
Microwave Journal, Military Microwaves Supplement , August 2009 - Traps can lurk below the surface when you upgrade hardware or software:
” Test system upgrades can expose problems,”
Test & Measurement World , September 2009
Previous “Also of Interest” and “Elementals” Editions:
Recent Planet Analog Newsletters:
0 comments on “Also of Interest” and “Elementals” for October 26, 2009; plus recent “Planet Analog” Newsletters”