Double-barreled WiFi test By Richard A Quinnell, Contributing Technical Editor
Adding "wireless" to networking does more than change physical-layer-test requirements; it adds system complexity that needs simultaneous controlled testing of many layers.
Designing offline power supplies using power-factor correction By Phil Zuk, Fairchild Semiconductor
By reducing ac-line current, switched-mode power supplies that incorporate PFC are cutting the cost of installing and operating ac-powered equipment. Increasingly, regulatory bodies are requiring PFC.
Testing serial gigahertz-speed buses By Alexander Schmitt, Agilent Technologies
Replacing digital parallel buses in computer and datacom applications with serial high-speed buses has significant implications. Signal-integrity effects may emerge as issues. Engineers can use standard stimulus/response test equipment to perform demanding physical-layer tests.
FROM EDN EUROPE: Can MOST escape from the car? By Graham Prophet, Editor
On the timescales that prevail in the automotive world, the MOST bus is experiencing a rapid deployment, routing multi-media data around a number of (admittedly, high-end) vehicles already in volume production. Its proponents envisage a wider application scope for the bus: are they being realistic, or will in-car use mark the limits of MOST's domain?
