The 555 Timer IC is an integrated circuit (chip) implementing a variety of timer and multivibrator applications introduced in 1971. The 555 part is still in wide use, thanks to its ease of use, low price and good stability. 555 Contest claims to be biggest, newest, most-independently conceived 555 timer design contest the world has →
LEDs Deliver More from Less article tells that LEDs continue to penetrate automotive lighting applications due to their long life and design flexibility. LEDs continue to penetrate automotive lighting applications due to their long life and flexibility of use for body styling and interior design. LED lighting, used for the headlights, daytime running lights and →
Using low-cost PCBs (printed-circuit boards), you can easily design a board in a few hours with nearly any CAD packag (even the free ones). Most suppliers can fabricate a PCB with line width and spacing down to 0.006 in. Make a quick-turnaround PCB for RF parts article tells that RF circuits usually need 50Ω traces →
The European Commission supports industry’s commitment to provide a common charger for mobile telephones. Commission welcomes new EU standards for common mobile phone charger: European Standardisation Bodies CEN-CENELEC and ETSI have now made available the harmonised standards. The industry commits to provide chargers compatibility on the basis of the Micro-USB connector. The technical number for →
Use FPGAs for stunning surveillance camera images is a cool article on image processing performed inside modern surveillance cameras. The “stunning images” are made possible by utilizing the latest in high definition high dynamic range CMOS image sensor technology. The “valuable information” is provided by adding intelligence in the camera that can look for the →
A working robotics prototype involves mechanical, electrical, and software design. Five golden rules for prototyping robotic systems article shares some lessons learned while designing an autonomous robotic helicopter.It shows that a well-thought-out plan for prototyping can significantly pay off in the long run and can be even more important in robotics applications than in other →
Tyco Electronics has an interesting application note named Relay Contact Life. The Relay Contact Life document outlines the basics of relay contact selecting, properties of different contact material and strategies for protecting relay contacts. There is no such thing as a universal relay contact. Relay contacts are available in a variety of metals and alloys, →
The challenge of protecting today’s systems from transient threats is more complex than ever before. As semiconductor manufacturers introduce new wireline transmission devices built on smaller CMOS geometries, more circuit protection challenges are emerging. CommsDesign article System level transient voltage protection–Five in-depth answers to ESD questions gives answers to important questions that can ensure that →
A Ham’s Guide to RFI, Ferrites, Baluns, and Audio Interfacing is an interesting tutorial on understanding and solving RF interference problems. To solve interference problems, we must understand them. The document describes many EMC issues well. Almost all RFI problems we describe as “RF in the shack” have pin 1 problems as their root cause! →
Gold on HIFI connectors is quite much talked about subject. This article tries to give some information on gold planted connectors so you could decide case by case if they are good idea to use or not. Gold connectors are very much hyped on cable advertisements. Gold is equated with being expensive so having something →