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Analog

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Steve Taranovich
Editor
Latest design tips and clever circuit architectures that analog design engineers must have to keep up with fast-paced developments in the analog world of interface, timing, and RF advancements. Industry innovations and processes that enhance analog performance are some of the many topics to be explored in great technical depth as they happen.
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Why bypass caps make a difference - Part 4: Op amp macromodels: A cautionary tale

Part 4 of this series on power-supply decoupling and bypass capacitors offers a cautionary tale on using op amp macromodels - what you see in your simulation is definitely not always what you get. Read More...

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BigDog robot: a sensor-based enhancement of human capabilities

Boston Dynamics, another great spin-off of MIT, has developed robots that move with the strength and agility of animals, as well as others that can climb vertical walls and a shape-changing robot that can maneuver in tight spaces. All of these devices magnify and improve upon the animal and human capabilities to perform super-human-like tasks. Read More...

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Microchip latest Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and ZigBee Products

Microchip Technology Inc., announced a major expansion of its embedded-wireless portfolio from the DESIGN West/Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose. Read More...

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Using adaptive filtering to enhance capacitive sensing of buttons/sliders

Capacitive touch interfaces have become increasingly popular for button and slider interfaces used for input control. The performance of a slider or button under changing environmental conditions is important for final implementation and can vary based on the use case. Read More...

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Book review: The Power of Design

I originally spotted this book at APEC 2013, where Wiley had a booth. As I was browsing through the array of fine technical/engineering books on display, this one caught my eye. Perhaps it was the title, “The Power of Design”. Read More...

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Op amp noise revisited - the nuts and bolts

A question arose about the model input current noise generator shown in my previous post and whether it should properly be modeled as an independent current source for the plus and negative inputs. An excellent question. Read More...

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Simulation shows how real op amps can drive capacitive loads

Electrical engineers designing analog electronics commonly have to drive a capacitive load with an operational amplifier that cannot quite handle the required capacitance. Common approaches to handling this situation have limitations that are not always understood. Using simulation, we show these limitations and how to overcome them. Read More...

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Bob Dobkin: Mentor and motivator to young engineers

Bob Dobkin (affectionately known by his close colleagues as "Dobbie") talks to DESIGN West attendees about the challenges of analog design and the importance of what schools are teaching and should be teaching in engineering. Read More...

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Choose resistors to minimize errors in grounded-load current source

The improved Howland current source, shown here, is very popular because it can drive a grounded load. Read More...

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Small signal simulation in the s-plane

In analog circuit design, small-signal analysis is one of the first steps for studying the stability of the circuit or obtaining the transfer function (voltage gain, trans-impedance, power rejection, etc.) Read More...

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Wideband matched input Z using active match and a new type of amplifier (Part two of two)

While all fully differential amplifiers (FDA’s) can act to convert a single ended input signal to differential output, none have thus far shown adequate performance to provide an input impedance match without an added resistor to ground at the input. Read More...

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Modeling multiconverter DC power systems

I came across a really good IEEE paper on XPlore regarding a modular approach to model and simulate multiconverter dc power system based on the state-space averaging method. Read More...

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Why bypass caps make a difference - Part 1: How a regulator and its output capacitor can interact

This updated multipart series attempts to quantify what's happening on the supply line of a representative analog amplifier circuit with regulated supply rails and decoupling capacitors. Read More...

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Simulating op amp noise

With visualization tools and a simple way of simulating op amp noise with TI's Tina SPICE simulator, designing for low noise is much faster and surer than with previous cut and try methods. Read More...

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Ensure long lifetimes from electrolytic capacitors: A case study in LED light bulbs

Several years ago I worked on a few designs for LED light bulbs. Very early on it became clear that the temperatures of components in such light bulbs can get quite high. Read More...

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Meeting astronaut Jerry Ross

Astronaut Jerry Ross spoke about his adventures in space at the Cradle of Aviation Museum on April 2, 2013 as part of an IEEE-sponsored “Legends of air & space lecture series” run by the museum. Read More...

>> SEE ALL
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Gnat-power sawtooth oscillator works on low supply voltages

Making basic analog circuit functions that operate from a low-voltage battery supply can be tricky. Lack of headroom and the need to minimize supply and leakage currents are usually the biggest challenges. Read More...

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Successfully choose complementary bipolar transistors

This technique matches DC-gain of complementary devices using minimal test equipment. Read More...

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Injection-lock a Wien-bridge oscillator

A low-distortion Meacham-bulb-stabilized Wien-bridge oscillator is used to acquire the FFT of a pure sinusoid of about 5 kHz. Read More...

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Booster circuit enables reliable solenoid operation

Rather than increase the power supply voltage and current capability, this workaround uses a momentary voltage boost to turn on a solenoid. Read More...

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Photo meter assesses ambient light

When most PN-junction diodes are reverse biased, they will produce a small photovoltaic output as the light level is increased. Read More...

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Dramatically increase the frequency range of RC-based voltage-controlled oscillators

Add a varactor to a voltage-controlled oscillator to increase the tuning range. Read More...

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Sense automobile high-side current with discrete components

Use this circuit to convert a current into a voltage for measurement. Read More...

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Buffers stabilize oscillator

Keep your oscillator frequency and amplitude constant with this easy fix. Read More...

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Reconstruct the input current in a grounded-impedance current sensor

Measure the current into an impedance by reconstruction with current mirrors. Read More...

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How to configure a low-power timer/oscillator to operate from higher supply voltages

Systems running from higher supply voltages can take advantage of the low supply currents of a micropower timer, by adding a few inexpensive transistors to the operating circuit. Read More...

>> SEE ALL
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Microchip latest Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and ZigBee Products

Microchip Technology Inc., announced a major expansion of its embedded-wireless portfolio from the DESIGN West/Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose. Read More...

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Sendyne IC achieves ten-fold increase in dynamic range of current measurement

The Sendyne SFP100 IC enables use of ultra-low resistance shunts for sensing currents from kiloamperes down to milliamperes in automotive temperature conditions and other applications. Read More...

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Chip on board (COB) LED design with thermal platform

The LED supply side has a great many good LED offerings. The technology is progressing very quickly and most suppliers are following the innovative trends of lumens/watt, lumens/$, lumens/area, efficacy, correlated color temperature (CCT) options available, color rendering index (CRI) options and following the standard deviation of color matching (3SDCM) standards, which is color consistency between sources. Read More...

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STMicroelectronics satellite-tracking chips work with all world major satellite nav systems

Introduced as the world’s first single-chip positioning device for multiple global navigation systems in January 2011, ST’s Teseo II is a single-chip standalone satellite receiver able to use signals from all of the satellite navigation systems, including GPS, the European GALILEO system, Russian GLONASS and Japanese QZSS3. Read More...

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SiTime enters smartphone market with first MEMS oscillator

SiTime Corporation introduced the SiT15xx family of 32 kHz MEMS oscillators that replace legacy quartz crystal resonators. Read More...

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TI introduces industry’s first full HD image sensor receiver

Texas Instruments Incorporated introduced the industry’s first image sensor receiver IC to serve as a dedicated LVDS bridge between image sensors and processors. Read More...

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Two new Touchstone micropower amplifiers extend battery life

Touchstone Semiconductor announced that it has added two new, micropower operational amplifiers (op amps) to its “NanoWatt Analog™” high-performance analog integrated circuits portfolio Read More...

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CogniPower among the giants at APEC 2013

This company, although small, has a clever concept called “Predictive energy balancing”, a novel technique that Bill Morong and Lawson had developed. The big guys are looking closely at it at APEC. Read More...

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Vicor reveals new ChiP power package at APEC 2013

Patrizio Vinciarelli’s Opening Plenary talk at APEC on Monday March 18th, was entitled “Power components come of age”. Read More...

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14-Bit, 4.5Msps SAR ADC with precision reference in TSOT-23

Linear Technology Corporation introduced the LTC2314-14, a 14-bit 4.5Msps successive approximation register (SAR) ADC in a tiny 8-lead TSOT-23 package. Read More...

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Touchstone Semiconductor TS7001 2-Channel, 12-Bit SAR ADC

Touchstone Semiconductor announced the TS7001, its newest 12-bit 187.5-ksps analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that can be used as a 1.5x faster/50% lower INL drop-in upgrade to the Analog Devices AD7887A. Read More...

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Smartphone barcodes now readable by all POS laser scanners

ams AG and Mobeam announced that they have formed a strategic partnership that will accelerate the ability of smartphones to transmit barcoded content that can be read by all point-of-sale (POS) laser scanners. Read More...

>> SEE ALL
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Teardown: Maxwell's equations

If Maxwell's Equations were a piece of hardware, most of us would be eager to see what's inside the box. But you won't find the literary equivalent of a physical teardown because the subject is basically mathematical and as such, requires a certain amount of rigor to explain and understand. If you're willing to trade mathematical rigor for readability, this article may be the refresher you've been looking for. Read More...

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Teardown: The nuances of variable-frequency drives

Get an inside view of induction-motor control by varying frequency using PWM. Read More...

The Scrubbing Bubbles power sprayer

A brilliant design costs you only pennies per spritz. Read More...

The 24V, 300W, BLDC Kollmorgen motor integrated controller

A motor mixes mechanical and electrical beauty with questionable thermal design. Read More...

The Tektronix 1101 oscilloscope-probe power supply

A mechanical design is at once a masterpiece and an expensive expedient. Read More...

Bulldog Security RS82B remote-vehicle-starter system

Microprocessor-controlled relays let you start your car 100 yards away. Read More...

The 15W Fender Squier guitar amplifier

Replacing all of the potentiometers makes a scratchy old amp sound great again. Read More...

The Schauer TB10012 battery charger

A 30-year-old nonworking battery charger makes a perfect Prying Eyes candidate—and gets a new lease on life. Read More...

The West Bend No. 1 electric-frying-pan thermostat

Spray lubricant and contact cleaner save a dignified old product. Read More...

The Sharp R-6300 microwave oven

A look inside an almost-40-year-old microwave oven shows that a consumer product can have both dignity and integrity. Read More...

>> SEE ALL
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BigDog robot: a sensor-based enhancement of human capabilities

Boston Dynamics, another great spin-off of MIT, has developed robots that move with the strength and agility of animals, as well as others that can climb vertical walls and a shape-changing robot that can maneuver in tight spaces. All of these devices magnify and improve upon the animal and human capabilities to perform super-human-like tasks. Read More...

image

Using adaptive filtering to enhance capacitive sensing of buttons/sliders

Capacitive touch interfaces have become increasingly popular for button and slider interfaces used for input control. The performance of a slider or button under changing environmental conditions is important for final implementation and can vary based on the use case. Read More...

image

Book review: The Power of Design

I originally spotted this book at APEC 2013, where Wiley had a booth. As I was browsing through the array of fine technical/engineering books on display, this one caught my eye. Perhaps it was the title, “The Power of Design”. Read More...

image

Simulation shows how real op amps can drive capacitive loads

Electrical engineers designing analog electronics commonly have to drive a capacitive load with an operational amplifier that cannot quite handle the required capacitance. Common approaches to handling this situation have limitations that are not always understood. Using simulation, we show these limitations and how to overcome them. Read More...

image

Bob Dobkin: Mentor and motivator to young engineers

Bob Dobkin (affectionately known by his close colleagues as "Dobbie") talks to DESIGN West attendees about the challenges of analog design and the importance of what schools are teaching and should be teaching in engineering. Read More...

image

Choose resistors to minimize errors in grounded-load current source

The improved Howland current source, shown here, is very popular because it can drive a grounded load. Read More...

image

Small signal simulation in the s-plane

In analog circuit design, small-signal analysis is one of the first steps for studying the stability of the circuit or obtaining the transfer function (voltage gain, trans-impedance, power rejection, etc.) Read More...

image

Why bypass caps make a difference - Part 1: How a regulator and its output capacitor can interact

This updated multipart series attempts to quantify what's happening on the supply line of a representative analog amplifier circuit with regulated supply rails and decoupling capacitors. Read More...

image

Ensure long lifetimes from electrolytic capacitors: A case study in LED light bulbs

Several years ago I worked on a few designs for LED light bulbs. Very early on it became clear that the temperatures of components in such light bulbs can get quite high. Read More...

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Analog Devices’ Jerry Fishman: A CEO’s accomplishments in strengthening the engineering environment

As we mourn the passing of Analog Devices CEO, Jerry Fishman, we look back over his career and especially want to focus upon the decisions and actions he implemented for the company after Ray Stata, co-founder and first CEO, hand-picked him for the job to run the company in 1996. Read More...

>> SEE ALL
02.03.2011

Control an LM317T with a PWM signal

Set a regulator's output voltage under microprocessor control. Read more...

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05.15.2013
Gnat-power sawtooth oscillator works on low supply ...
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02.03.2011
Control an LM317T with a PWM signal
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