Category Archives: Electronics

Electronics articles

Modeling of analog part for DDS3 signal generator

Posted on December 12, 2011 | 4 Comments

When building AVR DDS2 signal generator there were lots of discussions about signal conditioning in analog part of device. First argument was that LM358 wasn’t the best choice for this purpose. Another one pointed to sine wave that weren’t smooth enough.

As you can see there are some dents on it. Other waveforms also are distorted especially when higher voltages are selected. This definitely asks for better analog part. Some people suggested to replace LM358 with OPA2134, but it seems to be quite expensive choice. In my opinion low noise general purpose op-amp can be great too. I’m gonna give a try to Texas Instruments TL074 low noise op-amp. It is low power, high slew rate (13V/us) IC – almost five times faster than LM358 and for same reasonable price. Continue reading →

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Posted in AVR controlled signal generator, Electronics

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Open Software Hardware Definition is finally here

Posted on February 14, 2011 | Leave a comment

We used to see lots of Open Software projects and they are really cool, because everyone can get involved in developing, improving and tweaking without paying a penny for right to do so. So finally we have first version of Open Source Hardware (OSHW) 1.1 definition ready. Everyone who is developing hardware project can proudly to include a logo and definition.

OSHW Eagle CAD symbols

Open Source Hardware Statement of principles sounds as follows:

Open source hardware is hardware whose design is made publicly available so that anyone can study, modify, distribute, make, and sell the design or hardware based on that design. The hardware’s source, the design from which it is made, is available in the preferred format for making modifications to it. Ideally, open source hardware uses readily-available components and materials, standard processes, open infrastructure, unrestricted content, and open-source design tools to maximize the ability of individuals to make and use hardware. Open source hardware gives people the freedom to control their technology while sharing knowledge and encouraging commerce through the open exchange of designs.

Full OSHW statement can be found here. Keep in mind that that this is a first release version of OSHW definition and there can be some amount of minor changes. Anyway base principle are clear enough to start using it. The exact logo isn’t selected yet, so there are several versions available. If you are looking one to add to your Eagle project you can check out Bens OSHW logos converted to Eagle PCB cad symbols.

Use it, Add logos to your design and be proud of making Open Source Hardware projects!

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Posted in Electronics

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32GHz REAL TIME SCOPE

Posted on May 11, 2010 | 1 Comment

Agilent’s Infiniium 90000 X-Series oscilloscopes is the new  oscilloscope which boasts of 32 GHz bandwidth , this oscilloscope set a new mark of excellence for analog bandwidth promising to satisfy the needs of worldwide engineers to help them perform with maximum accuracy. It takes the emerging standards of wireline communication to a whole new level. It enables to take measurements with absolute accuracy and precision. This scope has lower noise floor which also boosts its efficiency to a very high extent. Accuracy in very small measurements require a low floor which the new scope satisfies and is therefore mark of excellence in terms of performance. In the front end of the scope there are two preamplifiers which are rated to 32 GHz.

Also in the front end there are included two edge trigger chips which have a edge trigger bandwidth of about 22 GHz. The radar applications therefore make a very nice use of these new scopes. The harmonic signals are captured with the help of low noise floor. Measurement floor of 180fs is offered by this oscilloscope. Continue reading →

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Posted in Electronics

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Evolution of Solar Cells

Posted on January 4, 2010 | 10 Comments

With the non-renewable sources of nature diminishing and the global warming effect increasing, Solar energy is vital in the present times considering the fact that the power demand in the world is a never ending process. And the emergence of the solar cells in the 19th century has signified the importance of solar energy today, in our lives.

A solar cell is a device converting the sunlight energy directly into electricity with the use of the photovoltaic effect. The term “photovoltaic” is used since 1849, derived from Greek ‘phos’ meaning “light” and ‘voltaic’ meaning “electric” from the name of the Italian physicist Volta. These solar cells or the photovoltaic cells today are used to make solar panels, solar modules, or photovoltaic arrays. Continue reading →

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Posted in Electronics, Technology

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New Groundbreaking in Optical Fiber Communication and CCD Image Sensor

Posted on November 10, 2009 | Leave a comment

Each day, there are many new breakthroughs in the technology field. Recently, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has giving the Nobel Prize Award in Physics for 2009 to three physicists for their outstanding groundbreaking in the optical fiber communication and CCD image sensor.

The two honored physicists are Charles K.Kao, Standard Telecommunication Laboratories, Harlow, UK and Chinese University of Hong Kong in the achievement concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication. Willard S. Boyle and George E.Smith from Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, USA for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit, which is known as the CCD sensor.

CCD image and Optical fiber communication

According to Kao, he made a discovery that led to a new breakthrough in fiber optics since 1966. He was amongst the first few physicists who calculated how to transmit light over long distance via optical glass fibers during 1960s. Now, he had discovered a new technique that is enough to encircle the globe more than 25,000 times with fiber optics!

Furthermore, the discovery of CCD image sensor by S.Boyle and E.Smith also brought the photography into a new revolutionary era, which the CCD provided new possibilities to visualize the previously unseen. [sciencedaily]

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Posted in Electronics, Technology

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The World’s Smallest Force Sensitive Resistors are Ready For Squeezing!

Posted on June 7, 2009 | 1 Comment

Guys, I heard some of you were thinking here, “What’s the heck of this Force Sensitive Resistor?” Ok, since you’ve asked the question, then it’s time to reveal the mystery of this Force Sensitive Resistor!

force-sensitive-resistors

Did you know that by simply using a Force Sensitive Resistor, it allows you to detect physical pressure, squeezing and weight without any further modification? Basically, force sensitive resistor is a resistor and it can change its resistive value (ohms) depending on how much its being pressed!

However, it also has its downside as well, which they have a very large vary range from sensor to sensor and it can be up to 10%! To be honest, when you’re using force sensitive resistor, you must expect to get ranges of response.

Despite of the above disadvantage, force sensitive resistor is still the ideal choice, especially for most touch-sensitive applications that required the user to push or squeeze hardly! After all, you won’t need to spend over hundreds or thousands of dollars for purchasing a high quality force sensitive resistor!

Trust me, try it on and you might probably love it…[source]

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Posted in Electronics

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When LED will replace the Light Bulbs?

Posted on April 28, 2009 | 1 Comment

This is the very important question for this current situation because most of the country is having shortage of resources. So every country is searching for the alternative sources to save the money. What is LED? It is nothing but the light emitting diode, a diode emits the light with the use of semi conductor. This is definitely true in future because lot of research is going on LED. Many university and lot of professor are involved in the research; as a result of the research light emitting diode is very efficient than the ordinary light.

smart_led_lighting

Role of LED:

Light emitting diode is very energy efficient, this device only use their energy up to seventy percentage for converting it to light and twenty percentage is expelled out and remaining ten percentage is delivered to the semiconductor device due to more refractive property. Most of the well-developed cities are replacing the ordinary lights with the light emitting diode. Continue reading →

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Posted in Electronics, Energy Industry

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Electrosmog is a New Breakthrough for the Circuit Board

Posted on April 16, 2009 | Leave a comment

Most people think it’s better to have the components’ size as smaller as possible, as it can save up many spaces and enable the manufacturers/users to adding up many other useful electronic components onto a project!

When the components are too densely packed, it can be interfered with one another. Let’s take an example, a near field scanner has the ability to detect weak fields and help to protect bank cards against any possible fraud efficiently!

electrosmog-on-circuit-board

However, there is a problem has to be overcome with the miniature size of the electronic components. The smaller the electronic components are the signal-to-noise ratios are greatly increasing as well! When this problem occurred, it will leave some negative effects.

A group of developers from the Fraunhofer ENAS has discovered a measuring system that can be used to locate even the weakest electrical and magnetic fields to an accuracy of a few hundredths of a millimeter!

Furthermore, the developers claimed that they are now carry out some experiments to test for areas that respond sensitively to external fields.

They believed that the new Electrosmog’s technology can provide a time and space resolved images, where help the card developers to protect their products against all those nasty fraudsters in future…

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Posted in Electronics, Technology

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Single supply operation amplifiers versus dual supply

Posted on February 6, 2008 | 2 Comments

We used to see dual supply ideal operational amplifiers (Op Amps), what means that Op Amps are powered from dual supplies with equal magnitude and opposing polarity. The center tap is connected to the ground which serves as a center of the supply voltage.

dual_power_op_amp.JPGSingle supply operational amplifiers are powered with single polarity voltage. In this case you loose convenient ground reference that split supply op amps have. In this case you must ensure that signal swings between correct voltages (eg. VCC and GND). Input sources connected to ground are actually connected to a supply rail in single-supply systems. This is analogous to connecting a dual-supply input to the minus power rail. This requirement for biasing the op amp inputs to achieve the desired output voltage swing complicates single-supply designs.

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What are MEMS

Posted on July 31, 2007 | 2 Comments

Today MEMS is common acronym among engineers. Therm MEMS stands for micro-electro-mechanical system and was started to use in 1980sin USA. MEMS are called system because they are not only sensors bu also contain electronic circuitry inside which conditions sensor signal. Simply speaking MEMS is usually a chip device which integrates mechanical elements, sensors, actuators and electronics. Most interesting and important partis mechanical. Miniaturisation of mechanical part using micro-machining technologu when selectively parts are etched away, it became possible to create mechanical structures on silicon base together with electronic devices.

mems1.jpg

 

MEMS devices are used everywhere today including automotive, industrial even computer hard drives have MEMS sensors for shock protection. Ability to integrate mechanical sensors inside chip made possible to design compact accelerometers, gyroscopes, pressure sensors, sensors with integrated RF, and meny more. Also technology enables to integrate more than one sensor inside the chip. One of examples may be 3-axis accelerometers. Major producer of inertial MEMS is Analog Devices which produces accelerometers and gyroscopes.

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Posted in Electronics

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